One last round of ‘Gangnam Style’ before we're done

It was the best of viral YouTube videos, it was the worst of viral YouTube videos. It was the K-pop megahit “Gangnam Style,” and love it or hate it, you were probably earwormed by it at one time or another. And you probably danced to it, if no one was looking. Oh, come on. You don’t have to pretend around us. We’re all friends here. And at 854,877,418 views as of this writing, it’s the most-watched video on YouTube ever, supplanting Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”

“Gangnam Style,” by South Korean pop star PSY, is of course, utterly ridiculous — but it had a few advantages going in. First off … most American’s had no idea what any of the lyrics meant, except for the English refrain, ‘Hey, sexy lady.” For those of us who don’t speak Korean, it was just a catchy pop groove which came completely context-free. (For the record, “Gangnam Style,” refers to the hip, trendy Gangnam region of Seoul, South Korea. Without knowing nuances of contemporary Korean culture, it’s hard to say what an American equivalent would be … “Oppan Brooklyn Style?” Sure, why not?)

Strip away the lyrics — which, judging from various translations online, aren’t all that exciting — all you’re left with is a highly infectious pop groove. And it was infectious. Much like Bieber’s “Baby,” Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” or Carlye Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” it was horrendously difficult to get the tune out of your head once you heard it. And like those other Internet sensations, it spawned many, many online parodies. And the tributes, satires and covers aren’t quite done yet … in the past week alone, it’s been a number on “Glee” and “Dancing With the Stars,” and “Late Late Show” host Craig Ferguson — who’s been dancing “Gangnam Style” between segments for a few weeks, now — quipped that if he was doing it, it was no longer cool.

Ferguson is too hard on himself. Really, it’s no longer cool if Bill O’Reilly is talking about it. He hated it, of course, but still … few things take the cool out of something’s sails as quickly as seeing it discussed on the news channel your grandparents are watching.

Honestly” “Gangnam Style” has probably had its day in the sun, and will likely fade as the next music sensation emerges. But don’t go thinking we’re done with K-pop. Oh, no. the world’s way too small, and the Eastern music market is far too explosive and (frankly) fun to go ignored too long. One can’t predict what might take “Gangnam Style’s” place, but it’s probably worth noting that PSY’s “romantic interest” in the video, Kim Hyun-a, is a fairly big K-pop star herself, as evidenced by her relatively recent hit, “Bubble Pop”:

And we’re still scratching the surface. “Gangnam Style” may be done, but K-pop is buzzing with the dizzy energy and wild enthusiasm that so enraptured American listeners hearing that song for the first time. As the Internet brings the world closer, we’ll soon learn that there is much, much more where that came from. (Victor D. Infante)

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